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The PianoForte Foundation (PFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that presents classical and jazz piano concerts in Chicago, Illinois. [1] Established in 2005 by piano dealer Thomas Zoells, the PFF presents over 60 concerts each year in downtown Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
According to its website, The PianoForte Foundation is dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of playing the piano in Chicago and creating a piano community that closely connects audiences and artists. The Foundation works on high-quality concerts, festivals, competitions, education, outreach, and public broadcasts. They achieve this mission by:
Thomas Zoells established the PianoForte Foundation in April 2005, one year after he opened PianoForte Chicago, a piano sales business. [1] As an extension of his business, Mr. Zoells began organizing a concert series which led to the establishment of PianoForte Foundation, an independent, non-profit, separately incorporated entity.
PianoForte Studios: In late September 2013, PianoForte Foundation moved from its original location in the historic Fine Arts Building in Chicago's Loop to its newly designed South Loop home. The space houses a new 100-seat venue with state-of-the-art audio and video recording capabilities, piano-equipped practice rooms, PianoForte Foundation headquarters and piano retailer PianoForte Chicago.
Concerts are organized into several series that run from September to June.
Other Notable Events:
The foundation has created the following programs:
The PianoForte Foundation has collaborated with Chicago arts organizations as CUBE, Chicago Opera Theater, the Chicago Composers Forum, and many more. In 2008 and 2009, PFF collaborated with the International Beethoven Project [3] to present the world premiere of a rediscovered Beethoven piano trio performed by the Beethoven Project Trio. The PianoForte Foundation was honored with the 2009 William Hall Sherwood Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts, for its role in bringing awareness and appreciation of piano repertoire and performance in Chicago. [1]
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